The present invention relates to alignment tools and, more particularly, to a surface casing alignment tool for oil and gas well speedhead or multibowl applications.
On most oil and gas wells, there is a speedhead or multibowl system used to land the surface casing. This method requires the removal of a riser used during the drilling phase of the surface hole to run the surface casing and install the wellhead. Removal of the riser creates a problem running the surface casing if not properly aligned. The flat edge on the conductor pipe causes the coupling on the casing to obstruct passage in the hole and delays the job.
During the passage through of the surface casing, the driller (rig operator) cannot visually see if the surface couplings hang up on the conductor pipe edge during passage into the well bore. Therefore, the driller has to slow down or even pickup if he hits the top edge. On some of the newer drilling rigs that are computerized, this causes the rig to physically shut down because the computer does not recognize the sudden weight loss and thinks it is an obstruction downhole in the well bore. This collision could also cause damage to the top edge of the conductor pipe.
As can be seen, there is a need for a tool to create a temporary clearance between a surface casing and a conductor pipe, even with improper alignment for the casing, thereby eliminating costly delays in installing the casing.